Jump to content

Type keyword(s) to search
Spoilers, New Topics & Co
Celebrating 25 Years Of The West Wing

Fremde Frau

Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    548

  • Joined

 Content Type 

Posts posted by Fremde Frau

    Rosewater

    in The Daily Show With Jon Stewart [V]

    · Edited by Fremde Frau

    I give it a solid 8/10, as well.
     
    Probably not spoilery but just in case: 

    The sympathetic anxiety for a first-time director faded much more quickly than I anticipated. By the time movie-Maziar was in Iran, I had forgotten about that and was just enjoying the movie. The pacing had a few bumps towards the end where I was reminded that it was a beginner's film, but the overall ride was quite good, and the different elements held up well as a cohesive whole. The acting was excellent, particularly Gael and Kim, and the soundtrack was fantastic. I'm definitely going to buy it ASAP. I get why Jon said that the story will seem simplistic from an Iranian POV and why Maziar and Jon were both saying that it's not necessarily about Iran specifically but meant to address a more universal theme. The writing was close to what I expect from the more serious side of Jon's TDS voice, in that it was informed, compassionate, and funny (at times) but delivering the narrative in a kind of shorthand. It doesn't try to feed the audience every bit of detail about the situation but to portray the broader interrelationship between individuals, groups, history, and ideas. They (Jon and Maziar) seem to assume that you're either already informed or will take the initiative to get informed through your own efforts. It felt--in a good way--like a collaborative, passion project.


     
    Definitely spoilery:

    Some of Jon's choices that reviewers had mentioned (like the brief, much-maligned hashtag montage or Maziar having conversations with the hallucinations of his father and sister) blended in well with the specific moments of the film in which they were utilized. The opening sequence in his mother's house, where the memories were intertwined with present-day scenes, was smoothly done; the editing was really top notch throughout most of the film. Probably the only part that I think was poorly filmed and planned was the scene in London, where we're unsure of who Maziar is talking to, and the scene is sort of dark with the camera focused on one unnamed person that we never see again (that I recall) instead of Maziar. Other than that, I think the only time that I felt jolted out of the movie a bit was after Maziar danced that beautiful dance; I was anticipating a different momentum in the following scenes, but we came back to an older, tense tone between Kim and Gael. The transition was awkward, but that was settled fairly quickly when it became clear that his time there had ended. Back to the good stuff: the humor is part of Maziar's book and outlook, not just Jon's, so it was nice to hear the audience laughing at the humorous moments, which were well done--sort of sliding in surreptitiously at times ("did you wash your hands?") and catching people off guard with small human moments, and other times building up to an understated punchline (the "massage" story). As Jon has said, the final shot is basically an understated punchline to the worldwide efforts by authoritarian regimes to control information. It was a really effective visual that stirred me more than I anticipated, given that I had some sense of what was coming.


     
    I may be back with more thoughts later, but that's all I can process at this time. It was a late night getting home! I really enjoyed watching it with a small, engaged audience. Everyone stayed for the Q&A, which was as hilarious and sweet as you might expect. Stephen and Jon were kidding each other in between having a meaningful dialogue. Then Maziar came out, and it felt like the audience latched onto what he was saying and how his story articulated the broader themes that were raised. It was a great experience.
     
    EDIT

    I'll believe you if you have video footage of Jones' dancing, por favor. :)

    You may not be thinking of the same "Jones" that I saw, @The Luvly Junkie. ;) This was not Jason Jones, but Tom Jones. But he's a famous singer, so I will link you to one of his performances of "Delilah," just 'cause.

    Last Week Tonight & John Oliver in the Media

    in Last Week Tonight

    I'll never understand how or why people forget all about TDS field pieces, contributor pieces (especially Wilmore's), and extended or otherwise serious interviews. There's this alternate reality that has spread like wildfire since LWT first started, as though TDS is only the length of a single monologue and that it's only reactionary, never proactive or thoughtful and certainly never uncomfortable for liberals/Democrats, in its selection of topics. Never mind about Colbert's many informative-yet-hilarious segments. You know, I fucking love John and this show, and I really want to unequivocally enjoy every positive article about LWT, but ones like these that are specifically focused on negative comparisons of TDS and TCR are almost always either poorly researched or deliberately reductive in order to make their arguments stronger.

     

    But carry on, internet and media. I guess that's what y'all do best together. I'm going to go and rewatch John shoot some salmon at celebrities, Colbert troll Wheat Thins, and Jon apologize to Dick Molpus.

    In the Media: The Blogs Must Be Crazy

    in The Daily Show With Jon Stewart [V]

    · Edited by Fremde Frau

    Dan Roodt, the fellow from John's old field piece "The Amazing Racists," is planning on suing TDS.

    Controversial advocate for a separatist Afrikaaner state, Dan Roodt, has told Eyewitness News that he intends pursuing legal action against US television programme The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, as well as those who have “obsessively” shared a link to an interview he did on the show.

    On his list of people to sue is Daily Maverick columnist Rebecca Davis, whom he informed of his intention via Twitter on Friday 7 November after she shared a link to the interview. Roodt says that he intends to sue for an amount of between R100 million and R1 billion.

    Roodt believes that he was defamed in his interview with the Daily Show and is seeking damages done to his reputation.

    In 2010 the show's John Oliver set out on a trip to South Africa in a piece that satirised racism and race relations. Oliver then interviewed Roodt in the segment and it seemed that while Roodt took the interview quite seriously, he was unaware of Oliver’s sarcasm throughout the interview.


    I had to add this part. It's too much.

    He went on to explain that he felt that the interview was “a colonial way of doing things”, where he felt that The Daily Show came to South Africa expecting him to be “some sort of native to be slandered and ridiculed”.

    "The Daily Show": Week of 11/10/14

    in The Daily Show With Jon Stewart [V]

    I was thinking that, too, trow125. Not so much that it was a LWT topic, so to speak, but that it's the sort of special topic focus that the correspondent pieces routinely deal with. That's maybe the big difference, content-wise, between Jon's desk pieces and John's desk pieces: John has basically taken what he used to do in the field and transferred it to the desk, and then he takes advantage of the time he has to give it more than five to ten minutes. It was interesting to see Jon cover it himself, rather than it being a field piece with Sam or Jessica. (I wonder where they all are this week. There has only been Jordan's field piece from Austin, right?)

     

    Didn't they formerly bleep "asshole," as well? A lot of unbleeping going on. I wonder if this is the new normal.

    "The Daily Show": Week of 11/10/14

    in The Daily Show With Jon Stewart [V]

    The story about the elephants made me feel sick to my stomach. Of course, the NRA couldn't give a fuck. When do they ever? I wish John would do one of his "How is this still a thing?" numbers on them.

     

    I loved the interview with Steve Carell. It was everything the doctor ordered, definitely for me if not even more so for Jon. The only thing missing was him crashing a Toss. Oh, well! Tonight's the night for Stephen-and-Jon goodness!

    "The Colbert Report": Week of 11/17/14

    in The Colbert Report [V]

    · Edited by Fremde Frau

    I hope they have a Toss, followed by Stephen pushing a button to beam Jon into his all-purpose booth. From there, he will have Jon trapped and will be able to have his way with him at long last, for whatever nefarious purpose he can imagine.

     

    (Question from a newbie: Have they ever been the actual, official guest of each other's show before?)

    • Love 1

    "The Daily Show": Week of 11/10/14

    in The Daily Show With Jon Stewart [V]

    @iMonrey, that's what I meant to say, that he was criticizing the supposed need for us to take the lead every time. I wasn't very articulate; you and @ChelseaNH stated it much better.

     

    If Jon was too tired to do another written segment, as perhaps he was, I wish they'd had Jessica, Jordan, and John Hodgman take over with some improv. That would have been magical.

    "The Daily Show": Week of 11/10/14

    in The Daily Show With Jon Stewart [V]

    I don't think he doesn't see the danger of ISIS (he was agreeing with her as to the brutality and relentlessness of their strategies). Asking why rhetoric doesn't match action is a legitimate question, I think, especially going back to his point about how our politicians are better at campaigns than at governing. And I don't see that asking "why us" is isolationist; I think it's a pretty relevant question in light of everything that we've done poorly in arming, destabilizing, and manipulating that region for our own political and/or economic interests over the years. As long as we say, "It'll never get done unless we do it," it'll probably remain a self-fulfilling prophecy that only creates more situations like the one we are in.

    In the Media: The Blogs Must Be Crazy

    in The Daily Show With Jon Stewart [V]

    · Edited by Fremde Frau

    CNN had an interview with Aasif that ties in with what he has written about in his book, specifically the influence of The Daily Show and Aasif's visibility as a Muslim, as well as in the play Disgraced. There is a video interview with Amanpour as well as a written article by Aasif and Dean Obeidallah.
     
    Jon had a short interview with The National Post, which covers some different ground (what it means to be Jewish, what it means to criticize Israel, etc.). He indirectly responds to the criticism by people like Savage and Levin.
     
    According to this backstage bit, Jon will be on Howard Stern next Tuesday(?).
     
    This is the last thing: Dan Cortese, Jon Stewart and George Clooney, from MTV Rock N' Jock Baseball in 1995.

    • Love 1

    "The Daily Show": Week of 11/10/14

    in The Daily Show With Jon Stewart [V]

    I was reminded of Jon's statement about how he despises interviewing politicians, as well as his older statements about how he likes to try to get underneath talking points to have a real conversation. It raises the question: why does he bother to interview them if it's a hopeless cause, when he will come across as either too softball or too belligerent? That must be followed with the question: well, then, why does anyone bother to interview them (outside of partisans interested only in scoring points for them or against them)? Which brings me back to: political dialogue in this country sucks, and each interviewer has their own way of dealing with that slippery brick wall. His belligerence is pretty mild compared to the standards on cable news, and his softballs are pretty subversive compared to the same standards. But that's just my take on it.

     

    Also just my take on it: Jon's questions of her and of the administration in general reminded me of the things he used to say and ask about Bush's administration and decisions. It may be that he's in total despair over the clusterfuck of Iraq and how our efforts there have continuously only made things worse, and he can't believe that Obama is following in some of Bush's footsteps.

    "The Daily Show": Week of 11/10/14

    in The Daily Show With Jon Stewart [V]

    That first segment did nothing for me, but I appreciated where Jon was trying to go with the interview, even if it never quite got there. On a related note, he must be pretty exhausted with all of the recent interviews and promo tours for the movie to do a two-segment interview instead of another written segment. I guess none of the correspondents had a field piece ready to go.

    Rosewater

    in The Daily Show With Jon Stewart [V]

    · Edited by Fremde Frau

    I've been feeling "Jon Stewart interview question" fatigue because 90% of them keep asking the same questions. In some of the videos, Jon's expression is hilarious, like he's dead (or maybe just dead tired) inside after hearing the same question one more time within however many hours. Maziar is more stoic about it. Heh. I think it's one reason that I've enjoyed these longer interviews, including the one with HuffPost Live and the ones he did in Toronto. There is enough time that they cover other things and open up different parts of Jon.
     
    This particular topic (below) wasn't new, but I appreciated how Jon answered it. Critics always attribute all manner of negative emotions and motivations to him (from believing his own press, to wanting to direct movies or becoming a political leader, to being apathetic and fixating on the easiest joke, to never caring about research and never putting in effort to read the books by authors, etc.) because they themselves are tired of him or tired of the show or feel that John's new show is doing what TDS has deliberately or unwittingly failed to do. But Jon always seems to be two steps ahead of everyone, being self-aware without also being apologetic about his own intention and contentment.

    Do you still want to be doing this during the 2020 elections?

    Oh, God. I don't look ahead like that. If I did, I'd lose my mind. But there's obviously a shelf life for me. There's only so many times people can see me doing the same shit without going, "We want something fresh." That's just a natural progression.


    @trow125, you need to read this interview with Salon, as well. I loved this part, especially:


    Obviously you did not personally go to Iran to make this movie or do research. You had Maziar’s experience. But what kind of input were you able to get from people in Iran, or people who understood Iran?

    Well, we had — Jason and Tim had been there. [Meaning “Daily Show” correspondent Jason Jones and producer Tim Greenberg.] So we had a great deal of background. You know, one of the most mind-blowing things about those pieces was when we were over there in 2009, they were talking to the young kids who had the green ribbons on, and they were all fired up. One of the kids says to Jason as he’s interviewing him, “You’re from ‘The Daily Show.’” And he’s like, “Huh?” And then he goes, “Jon Stewart.” And he turns to the camera, and he goes, “Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh,” and does the imitation of George W. Bush that I used to do on the show. And we all watched that and like got a little like, maudlin, got a little teary, like: Oh my God, like, we have this view of this place that’s so removed from the reality of the day. Having Maziar there, though, was the real touchstone of it all. Because he had lived it, he had been through it, he had been raised there, and he was able more than anybody to help demonstrate the complexities and nuances of the culture and society.


    He was giving the folks at the Today show a little love this morning.

    • Love 1

    S01.E24: The Lottery

    in Last Week Tonight

    It's a good thing that HBO is not geoblocking the content.

     

    They are definitely clever in their strategies for internet domination; their Twitter account is actively engaging fans, as well. LWT is much more of an internet-savvy show like Fallon's and Colbert's; TDS gets with it from time to time but is pretty old school in that regard. I think LWT has given Fallon a run for his money in the viral-video-making department. Then Colbert will truly enter the fray next year (away from Viacom's YouTube hatred and geoblocking), and all bets will be off. It's interesting that LWT tends to go viral on very specific topics like FIFA or net neutrality, whereas TDS tends to go viral when Jon is truly pissed and/or when they hit a very raw social nerve on a broader, systemic issue like feminism, racism, war, immigration, prejudice against Muslims, etc. Of course, they all get a lot of great mileage out of bits of fun like #mcconnelling, bears, and flying salmon.

×
×
  • Create New...